When Love is Not Enough
by Kenne Morrison1
Summary: It's the day of Rogue's wedding to Gambit. Everything is perfect, nothing has gone wrong, but why isn't Rogue happy? Warning to all the RR shippers, at times, this is not a very Remy favorable story. Please Read and Review. Thanks.Edit: Oh, and the m
1. Chapter 1

When Love is Not Enough

By Kenne Morrison

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story nor the events that are referenced. Those characters and stories belong to their respective owners and Marvel Comics. This story is Not For Profit; entertainment purposes only.

Author's Notes: I wrote this yesterday when I was feeling depressed and a little bit frustrated. Some of the events listed are not 100 correct, and there's some stuff that I took creative liscense with. Also, while I tried to keep the grammar and spelling errors to a minimum, I haven't edited this all the way. Please be advised that it might have some run-ons. If you see something that I did wrong, and feel inclined to inform me, then you'll have my thanks.

Everything was perfect. From the magnolia blossoms that filled the church with it's sensual perfume, to the classically-trained quartet of violinists that played the typical pieces one would expect at a wedding, even down to the plush carpet that made her feel as if she was walking on clouds. No, there was nothing about this day that she could point to and say it was ruined. Everything was working together in harmony as if the very heavens themselves had declared that her special day be exactly perfect. Then why did she feel so miserable?

"Rogue, hon, are you all right in there?" came the voice of Ororo Munroe, one of her best friends ever, through the door that separated the bathroom from the rest of the bridal chamber.

Rogue sniffed and wiped her nose with a tissue as she sat on the toilet. She was spending more time in the bathroom, trying to hide her misery, than she was getting ready.

"Ah'll be out in a second, 'Ro," she said.

"All right, but don't take too long. We still have to put the train on your dress and your veil on your head. The ceremony's going to start in thirty minutes."

"Thanks, 'Ro. Ah don't know how ah'd manage without ya."

That little voice inside her head admonished her. She should have told Ororo that she was having doubts. But, how could she tell even her best friends that the man that she had loved for so long was no longer the man she wanted to marry. What would they think of her if she called the whole thing off and left him standing there waiting for her to return. No, she had promised herself to Remy LeBeau years ago, even before he'd gotten around to asking for her hand in marriage. No one ever told her that she'd stop loving the man, but over time, she'd come to realize that she had.

As she twisted the necklace that she wore, a necklace specially designed by her friend, Forge, to serve a special purpose, Rogue was caught in the reverie of the events that had brought her to this point in her life. The events that had started out so full of promise and joy but were now condemning her to a life of mediocrity with a man that she merely tolerated nothing more.

When Rogue had first met Remy LeBeau, he was serving as a champion and bodyguard for her fellow X-Man, Storm, who had been de-aged to a couple of years before her mutant powers had manifested. Remy was the sort of person that any southern gal like Rogue would swoon over. He was charming, handsome, and dangerous. He was the kind of guy that tore your heart out but made you quiver in ecstasy as he did it. Gambit, as Remy preferred to be called when in costume, took his role as protector very seriously. It would be a few weeks before Rogue would even learn that Gambit was interested in her. It would be even a few weeks more before either one of them would act on their feelings.

She hadn't expected a picnic when he said he wanted to take her out, but she should have known that the ride on his Harley was a given in order for them to get to where he had planned their picnic. She remembered laughing as the wind blew her hair, and even though she couldn't feel his skin on her hands, she felt tremors of desire as she held on to his waist to keep from falling off. She had even dared to lean in close to him, smelling his manly scent, and dreaming of the day when a cure could be found for her mutant curse and they'd be able to melt their bodies together in the heat of passion.

Even the life-or-death situation that arose in the park and interrupted their date didn't take Rogue by surprise nor did it diminish how wonderful she felt at that point in time. She had seen Gambit, Remy, at work charming the ladies and making them blush. It had been her distinct pleasure to be the focus and sole recipient of those charms, and she had felt like a school girl when she had discovered shortly after that those charms he used would never work on the other girls like it did on her. He had offered her his heart that day, and no one could have stopped her from reciprocating in kind.

Through the years, things would be filled with ups and downs, but there was always one constant for them. No matter how much got in their way, they'd always feel that love for each other that defied all else that could not be shaken. She knew that Remy LeBeau was hers heart and soul just like she was his.

Living the life of an X-Man, always being willing to give your life for the better of humanity, was not very forgiving for those who were in love. There was little time for romance when you might spend weeks in another galaxy trying to convince a maniacal king not to destroy your homeworld. There wasn't a floral delivery that would send you flowers as a way of apologizing for the many months that you'd spend apart while he was on the other side of the galaxy serving as Xavier's bodyguard in a hostile peace situation.

Yet, whenever it felt like either one of them might just snap and throw in the towel on their relationship, events would change, and the world would stop needing saving. They'd actually get a chance to spend time together. Alone.

Like the time that Remy had taken her to the opera. Personally, she wasn't that big on it, but Remy had insisted that this was something all couples did, and he thought she deserved the special treat. She knew that he'd rather be back at the mansion playing poker with the boys, but it made her love him all that much more because he didn't even let it show that that was how he felt. That night, she'd put on her special necklace that Forge had given her, the necklace she only wore on special occasions like today. That night, she had let the power negators in the necklace cut her off from her gifts in order to give her love what he deserved. A kiss. She had been willing to try to keep the necklace on long enough for them to sleep together, but Remy wouldn't allow it. The negator couldn't cut off her powers for long, and the risk to her of a power backlash was too strong. Forge had explained to them that while the negator cut off her power absorption abilities, there was too much feedback from her powers wanting to restart themself that if she cut them off for long, the danger would grow that she could fry her brain while her powers fought to kick in.

At this point in their romance, they were both just happy to have the brief moments together where they could touch skin to skin, even if it was a touch of just seconds to barely a minute. At one point in their love life, Rogue had been afraid that Remy would leave her because of her inability to touch him like she should. However, there would be other things that would involve themselves in their lives and drive a wedge between them. She wouldn't kid herself into thinking that there was one major thing that did it because the love they felt had been hemorrhaging from a thousand tiny deaths for almost as long as they'd been together.

She took the time to tick off the events in her head that helped to contribute to today. They had both had a hard time loving each other when Remy's wife, Belladonna, showed up alive when she should have been dead. At first, she had thrown Remy off guard by suddenly showing up and reminding him of his responsibilities to her. Then when Remy rejected those responsibilities because he couldn't abandon Rogue, Belladonna had taken out her anger by trying to kill Rogue. The result had been that Rogue almost killed her by absorbing her life essence. She had seen a part of Remy's love die when he realized that Rogue was capable of murder, even if it was in self-defense. Had Rogue killed Belladonna, she would have to live with the knowledge that Remy would blame her for the rest of their lives.

An even bigger danger came when Rogue discovered that Remy had betrayed the X-Men by leading a band of ruthless killers to a massacre where Rogue herself suffered great emotional damage. The day that Rogue learned it was Remy who handed the Morlocks over to the Marauders for slaughter would be devastating for her. And even though it was more her reaction to Remy's desire to punish himself, Rogue had gladly left Remy to fend for himself in the cold environment of the Antarctic. After all, had it not been for Remy, Rogue wouldn't have had to carry the guilt of knowing that she had almost cost another X-Men her life when Kitty had phased her to save her. Kitty had almost died that day, and it would be months before Kitty would recover. Rogue had KNOWN it was her fault, and even though Kitty had never blamed her, Rogue had blamed herself. And then to find out the truth, Rogue had discovered someone else to blame. It had broken her heart to discover that the person to whom she cast that blame was the one man she had ever truly loved.

Even when Remy had returned, the others had treated Rogue like she was evil for her part in leaving him to die in the Antartic. Even after Remy explained that Rogue had been receiving his emotions and his desire to be punished and that she was not to be blamed, everyone still looked at her with cautious eyes. It would take her months before she would feel like she had earned forgiveness.

There were many other times when their relationship had been strained, but the crucial moment when the solid bond that they shared started to crumble was the day that her foster mother, Mystique, decided to break them up. At first Remy had been strong and even denied that Mystique had a point about him having needs. But, it wasn't too long before Mystique had provided the way for him to give in to his desires without it looking like he had cheated. Mystique had come to him looking like Rogue and seduced him. But, Remy had known it wasn't Rogue even though Mystique had tried to convince him that a miracle had occurred that allowed Rogue to touch him without danger. Mystique had seduced her man, and though she had forgiven him, she'd never be able to forget it.

But, the last embers of her love for him had died the day that Remy had allowed Apocalypse to transform him into the horseman Death. Remy had said that he was doing it for the X-Men because he believed that he could keep Apocalypse from destroying mutants or humanity. Still, Rogue had seen through it. Remy had been weak and let Apocalypse seduce his mind like Mystique had once seduced his body. Remy had been forever transformed by that experience. Months had gone by while Gambit had served Apocalypse leaving Rogue to worry about him. When he'd finally returned, he had promised the X-Men that he had never betrayed them. He had even managed to convince her that he had defeated Apocalypse the only way anyone could have, by getting into his inner circle by lashing out at Apocalypse when he was vulnerable and alone.

Rogue clucked her tongue as she heard another knock at the door. Why had she said she'd marry Remy when he had finally proposed? Could it be that she still loved him enough that she couldn't imagine a life without him? No, the sad, hard truth of it all was this: Rogue was willing to marry this traitor, adulterous, swine because when all was said and done, would anyone else truly have her?


	2. Chapter 2

**When Love Is Not Enough- Part Two**

By Kenne Morrison

**Disclaimer:** All recognizable characters and storylines are copyright their respective owners. This is a fanfic, not for profit, story based on characters that belong to Marvel Comics. For entertainment purposes only. NOT FOR SALE.

**Author's Notes:** There was never a plan to continue this story, but it turns out I upset a few Gambit fans by my portrayal of him. When I realized that I needed to get his side of things, I decided to write this portion. Whether this story continues from here or not is up in the air. It depends on how well it's received. Also, I make no guarantees that the events portrayed her are accurate. It's been so long since Rogue and Gambit first met that I don't even remember the details. I claim poetic license. Please read and review.

Also, please bear in mind that I'm not very fond of Gambit. I guess you could say I'm a little bitter that the relationship between Rogue and Gambit has tarnished their characters, and since I'm primarily a Rogue fan, I have to lay most of the blame at his feet. I'm sorry if this offends you, but I did attempt to be fair to him in this part of the story.

Here Begins the Story

When the violinists had begun to play, Remy was busy in the groom's dressing room fidgeting with his bow tie. Stupid thing! Why did he have to wear one of those anyway? If you asked him, he'd swear that it was a woman who invented the tie. After all, what man in his right mind would invent a device that came close to cutting off the airway and was bleeping uncomfortable to wear. He was about to give it up and blow the stupid thing up when the door opened.

He smelled her before he saw her. Though he'd never had the nerve to say so, he'd always found Betsy Braddock to be one of the sexiest women he'd ever seen. Even her scent was intoxicating with the combination of her expensive perfume, skin care and hair products. There was so much more to Elizabeth Anne Braddock than any other woman could aspire to. After all, how many women could pull off purple hair and still look stunning. Make no mistake, Psylocke was the woman that all the other X-Men would love to be trapped under rubble with.

"Oh, excuse me," she said when she saw him standing there staring at her. She shut the door to block out the noise from the sanctuary. "I was looking for Hank, do you know where he is?"

Remy tugged on his bowtie in disgust as he answered her, "Ole Beasty had to go to the boy's room. I t'ink he coughed up a hairball. But come in, how are you, Chere?"

"Remiel Luc LeBeau! How dare you flirt with me on today of all days! Why I oughta run out there and let Rogue know what a pig you are!" Betsy tried to put him in his place by standing with her hands on her hips and her legs stretched a few feet apart. But, then she recalled some of the things she had done to make certain romances falter. She smiled as she opened the door.

"Lebeau! I swear if you don't stop your horndog antics, I'm going to slice you in two!" Logan retorted as he walked out of the bathroom behind Remy. Betsy saw her moment to escape, so she slid out and shut the door behind her. Logan stood before Remy with a snarl on his face and popped one of his claws. "Is this how you treat Rogue after all this time. I'd think you'd be thanking your lucky stars that she's still willin' to marry you after all you put her through."

Chagrined, Remy let his hands fall to the side. "You're right, Mon Ami. I'm sorry."

"I ain't the one you ought to be apologizin' to, bub." Logan said with a gruff. Then he jerked Remy around so that the Cajun could look him in the eye. "Are you sure you want to get married? It's an awfully serious step to be takin'. I gotta admit I'm not convinced it's the right thing for you two to be doin."

_I love her, Logan. What else is dere for me to do?_ He thought about the days he'd spent with Rogue and how no matter what had happened he'd always had her to hold on to.

The first day Remy had met Rogue had been the best day of his life. Up until that moment, he had felt like a good for nothing street rat who's only true skill was charming his way out of sticky situations. Even his thieving abilities were secondary to his flirtatious nature. He was know in the thieves circles as the charmer who could convince Queen Elizabeth to hand over her crown and scepter.

And yet, being a thief left him feeling empty and unfulfilled. In fact, it was lucky for him that he'd met Ororo Munroe, a teenaged thief with so much spirit and intelligence that he had been incredibly impressed. She provided him with a way out of the darkness. She was a vulnerable young woman with a mission who allowed him to tag along as her bodyguard. But, she was a sister to him. After a few weeks in her company, he was beginning to feel lonely, not in the physical sense, but in the heart sense. He desired someone that he could lavish love and affection upon. He needed someone who could fulfill his physical needs.

The day he met Rogue changed all that. He had known eventually that Ororo was bringing him to a school for other mutants like him. She was also a mutant, unfortunately the process that de-aged her had taken away that ability. But, she knew that the X-Men would help her, and she convinced him that the X-Men would give him a place to belong as well. He had his doubts and might have even left eventually had it not been for her, the woman with a skunk stripe in her hair. A woman with so much to offer but unable and unwilling to risk the dangers to give it. In Rogue, Gambit found a mate that matched his own tortured and damaged soul. Once he met her, there was no way he'd leave the X-Men, no way he could ever leave her.

He wasn't sure she would say yes when he asked her out. Surely even someone with such a handicap as incapable of physical contact would have her share of suitors. Because whatever Rogue lacked in the ability to touch, she more than made up for in beauty and capacity to love. Remy had known that and was honestly surprised that no one else seemed to notice it as well. That first date had been everything he could have hoped for and more.

In fact, there had never been a second date, nor even a slow transition from teammates to lovers. That first day seemed to solidify their relationship so that they didn't have to take time to woo or be wooed. Oh, he'd take her out, whenever they had the time, but it was always understood that they'd always be there for each other. No two people had ever loved so completely as they did.

But, like all relationships, things weren't always easy. First there was the missions they found themselves on, any one of them dangerous enough that death was always a distinct possibility. Then they got separated when the team got so big that squads were formed. Sometimes he and Rogue were on the same squad, but sometimes they were not. It forced each of them to play the waiting bride wondering when the word would come to tell them that their husband had been killed in combat. Those sorts of dangers and unsure emotions were bound to wear them down, and over time that's exactly what happened.

There was also the physical needs that Remy had been willing to deny for her sake. Only, he was a male in his prime. There was only so much abstinence he could take. That forced him to make a serious mistake. He tried to force her to get physical with no regards to the consequences. He would have gladly lived his life as a vegetable for one night of bliss. It made things so bad that he stopped trying. She turned into a shrieking harpy who'd blame him for all their problems, and he'd threaten to walk out knowing that it was something that he could never do. Not even when his presumed dead wife showed up again, at the height of his problems with Rogue, could convince him to stray. It just wasn't in his nature.

And despite the rumors, Remy had never slept with Mystique in any form whatsoever. Oh, he'd be an ass to deny that he wanted to especially when she looked like his lover. It could have been easy to let go and pretend that the woman lying beneath him was the woman he'd lost his heart to. But, it would have been a lie. It would have served the purpose of releasing some of his sexual frustrations, but it would have torn Rogue apart to be reminded that he'd let someone else satisfy those needs.

Not that Rogue believed him when he told her that he never strayed. She had seen him be tempted. She'd felt him struggling with his own lust for physical contact, to be with a woman in a way he couldn't be with her. And she had let that lust cloud her judgment. What had she expected? That he'd act like a eunuch when encountering someone he desired? No, he had been a man. He had been weak and unsure that he'd be able to fight the temptation. But he had triumphed. He'd sent Mystique packing with her tail hanging between her legs. It was just frustrating to him that Rogue didn't believe him when he said so.

Perhaps it was despair that his relationship was permanently doomed to end that drove him to make a move that the others would consider an act of betrayal. They just didn't know the full story. He hadn't told anyone what the effect M-day had on him. No one could find out that he had been stripped of his powers. That was not acceptable. He'd seen what was happening with other mutants that had lost their mutancy. Emma was throwing them out left and right. For his relationship's sake, he couldn't let that happen to him. For that reason, Apocalypse sounded like the answer to all his problems. He could approach that monster, pretend to want to fight with him, and then once the process was complete, his powers or some powers restored to him, he could turn on the mad tyrant. Maybe he could come out looking like the hero by delivering the final blow that would end Apocalypse's life forever.

How was he to know that Apocalypse had prepared for the possibility of betrayal. Gambit's transformation had been more thorough than even the transformation that turned Sunfire into Famine. Whenever Remy had thought about turning against his master, his mind would shut down. Remy had gambled with his life and freedom, and he had lost. Had it not been for Ozymandias, who knows how long he would have been enslaved as a horseman?

And yet, when he had returned to the X-Men, he had to let them believe he had planned all of this all along. It had served Ozy's purpose to let Gambit take the glory for taking down Apocalypse. He had thought Rogue would be proud of him. And over time, maybe she had. After all, when he realized that she needed to know he'd never leave her again, he'd proposed, and she'd said yes.

"Ahem!" Logan cleared his throat as he jabbed a finger in Remy's side. "It doesn't sound too good for you two when it takes you so long to answer my question. "Are you sure you want to get married?"

Remy looked straight ahead as he said, " I love her. I'll always love her. I can't imagine my life without her. If she needs a wedding to keep her with me, then that's what I'm prepared to do."


End file.
